Thompson School District volunteer policy reviewed

One proposed revision to the policy relates to the reason a volunteer could be rejected by the district

By Jessica Maher Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
02/13/2013 08:38:48 PM MST

Just more than a year after the Thompson School District enacted a policy to background check school volunteers, the board of education reviewed proposed changes to the policy and heard concerns about the regulations during Wednesday's work session.

The changes were presented Wednesday by district public information officer Mike Hausmann, who said that the policy adopted in January 2012 required some housekeeping and further explanation.

The changes and policy itself were modeled after those in other districts.

"There's the belief that school districts have moral and ethical responsibilities to do what they can to protect kids," Hausmann said.

One proposed revision to the policy relates to the reason a volunteer could be rejected by the district. In the current policy, a felony or misdemeanor is taken on a case-by-case basis, but in the revision, anyone with a felony, domestic violence, child abuse/reckless endangerment or two or more DUI convictions will be denied as a volunteer.

Since last year, anyone who volunteers in the district has been required to fill out an application and submit to a background check at the expense of the district. Hausmann said the new process is not thought to have impacted volunteerism at schools -- about 4,000 applications were processed last year.

But board members questioned what constitutes an "authorized volunteer." Though Hausmann said that anyone who makes a routine visit to a school is considered an authorized volunteer and is required to go through the process, board member Leslie Young said that isn't happening at every school.

Active volunteer Mark Gibson was permitted to address the board during the work session and also asked for clarification on the definition of an "authorized volunteer."

With some boosters and clubs, Gibson said it's hard enough to find willing volunteers and said that some sign up last minute without being able to go through the process.

"My concerns are that it will hamper some of the things we can do," he said.

Board members asked that officials discuss possible clarifications.

"The intention certainly is not to create obstacles in the community for the people who want to volunteer," board member Janice Marchman said.

Also during Wednesday's work session, assistant superintendent of instruction Judy Skupa presented the board with data regarding the graduation and dropout rate for the 2011-12 school year. Though the dropout rate improved, the graduation rate dipped -- 77.3 percent graduated in the four-year expectation laid out by state and federal standards.

The on-time graduate rate for the class of 2011 was 81.1 percent, and in all high schools except Mountain View High School, the percentage of students who graduated on time in 2012 was less than in 2011.

Students in the district's ASCENT program, which allows students to complete a fifth year of high school while taking higher education coursework, are counted against the on-time graduate rate, Skupa said. There were eight students in the ASCENT program last year and the program is expected to continue to impact that rate.

Students in alternative education programs such as Ferguson High School are also staying in school longer.

"Time is a critical aspect for our students," Skupa said.

She also pointed to the increase of graduation requirements and loss of intervention support at high school levels because of budget cuts as possible reasons for the decreased graduation rate.

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